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Hot Stove Roundup: Two skipper jobs remain

Hot Stove Roundup: Two skipper jobs remain

MLB.com Tigers reporter Jason Beck discusses the club signing former big league catcher Brad Ausmus to a three-year deal to manage the team

By Andrew Simon
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MLB.com |

The Hot Stove was focused on new managers on Sunday, with the Tigers making their choice official and the Mariners and Cubs continuing to search. Notes on those situations, plus other tidbits from the offseason, are below.

• The Tigers introduced Brad Ausmus as their new manager on Sunday, with the longtime Major League catcher stepping into a pressure-packed spot at the helm of the reigning American League Central champions.

• The Mariners, still looking to fill their managerial opening, now have brought back three candidates for a second interview, as general manager Jack Zduriencik tries to find a replacement for Eric Wedge.

• Meanwhile, Wedge is one of the candidates known to have interviewed for the only other available managerial position. The Cubs are expected to reveal their choice at some point this week.

• It appears that teams hoping to add a big bat to the middle of their lineups this offseason can cross one option off their list. Marlins general manager Dan Jennings said on Sunday that slugger Giancarlo Stanton "is not available" in trade talks and will open the 2014 season as the Marlins' right fielder.

• Masahiro Tanaka earned the save as the Rakuten Golden Eagles beat the Yomiuri Giants in Game 7 of the Japan Series on Sunday. With that series over, Rakuten is expected to post the 25-year-old right-hander, which would make him one of the top arms available this offseason.

• The Rays picked up their $6.5 million option on David DeJesus and are trying to work out a multiyear deal with the veteran outfielder, whom they acquired on July 23. The club still must decide whether to exercise its option on reliever Juan Carlos Oviedo.

• The Giants aren't going to pick up right-hander Ryan Vogelsong's $6.5 million option, but the sides are discussing a new deal for a lower guaranteed salary, according to a report from CSN Bay Area.

Andrew Simon is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @HitTheCutoff. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.